(127c) A Simplified Approach to Risk-Based Facility Siting

It is anticipated that the new edition of API RP 752 (Management of Hazards Associated with Location of Process Plant Buildings) would allow facility operators to choose either or a combination of the two approaches: consequence-based and risk-based. The former is the traditional siting study method that has been employed in the past decade, taking into consideration the impact of explosion, fire, and toxic scenarios. The RP states that the method of choice could range from a simple to a complex analysis and continues stating that complex approach should include facility layout and geometry of the facility, whereas a simplified method ?should use conservative assumptions as a means to account for the details not included in the analyses.? The risk-based approach proposed in the paper is simple, but rigorous in that it includes the facility physical information as well as frequencies of postulated release scenarios. The paper shows a stepwise methodology to conduct a siting study without resorting to conservative assumptions. There are advantages, including cost effectiveness, in applying the risk-based approach in facility siting studies. The paper provides a worked example to demonstrate the approach.